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September 18, 1997

RCDC inmate cuts throat

PECOS, September 18, 1997 - An inmate at the Reeves County Detention
Center was discovered yesterday at approximately 5:40 p.m. with what appeared
to be self-inflicted wounds.

The inmate, whose name has not been disclosed, apparently used a disposable
razor blade to cut his throat.

Upon discovery, the inmate was transported to Reeves County Hospital.
From there he was taken to Ward County Hospital in Monahans and finally
to Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, where he was treated and released.

According to RCDC Warden Rudy Franco, the inmate was back at the detention
center by this morning and is being held in an observation cell.

Bill Weinacht, special counsel for the RCDC, said an investigation of
the incident is in progress.

RCDC assistant warden has colorful past

PECOS, September 18, 1997 - Charles "Charlie" Marmolejo, the
new Assistant Warden at Reeves County Detention Center, has a history of
distinguished service beginning with the Marine Corp. and two tours of
Vietnam, lengthy work for the State Department (where, among other honors,
he was chosen to work security for Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong on their
tour of South America following the successful Moon landing), and can boast
that he was the first ever Mexican-American to play for the Marine's touring
baseball team.

Marmmolejo considers his current place of work a "fine facility"
and Pecos a "good little town." Marmolejo, who lives on the west
side of El Paso, was born in Santa Anna, Calif., but grew up in El Paso.

He said that he joined the State Department (at which he graduated in
the top 10 percent of his class) because he wanted to "see something
nice." Because of this top performance he was able to choose the embassy
he wanted to work at. He chose the U.S. Embassy in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
"Often it happened (that when a large group of diplomats were traveling
in the region) the Secret Service would be short-handed . . . and call
around for Marines to support them," Marmolejo said, "I was fortunate
to be selected on numerous occasions. It was a very challenging type of
duty."

After serving the State Department all over South America and Mexico,
Marmolejo went to the Civil Service Commission, during his career as a
drill instructor in San Diego, and applied with the DEA, Customs, Border
Patrol and the Bureau of Prisons. He said he has "no regrets whatsoever"
of setting off on a long career with the Bureau of Prisons.

With the prison system he has worked as a correctional officer at La
Tuna in El Paso, at Federal facilities in Fort Worth and New York, and
helped open a Federal Detention Center in Oakdale LA.

The Federal Detention Center in Oakdale was started with the mission
of housing representatives from all over the world. During its first six
months of operations the facility held prisoners from a total of 65 different
countries.

"This lasted until the arrival of the Mariel Cubans (those who
arrived with the Mariel boat lift that Carter allowed into the country).
With that the mission changed. They needed space for these individuals."

Then the worst happened. Nov. 20, 1986, Attorney General Meese announced
that Castro had agreed to take back the 2500 excludables (those Cuban nationals
that the law enforcement community in the U.S. could not allow on the streets.
This included the mentally unstable and some hardcore criminals) and the
prisoners, realizing that a return to Cuba could only mean worse conditions
and possible execution, rioted.

"Their main objective was mass escape," Marmolejo said, "I
was the Captain at the time. Our priority was the protection of the staff,
but we had to prevent any of the Cubans from getting out.

"At the initial outbreak they (the rioting prisoners) were 200
strong. I called in the SORT team (Special Operations Response Team) and
they exhausted all their gas on numerous escape attempts." Marmolejo
said that when the prisoners began to understand they couldn't get out
it "aggravated the situation . . . It angered them you could say.
It appeared they were out for blood."

The prisoners began burning down the facility. An unknown number of
hostages were being held. "For the sake of the hostages
I kept up radio communications, saying `stop your destruction, stop your
burning, let's negotiate before somebody gets hurt.'"

Captain Marmolejo was also in contact with a Lt.Paul Mundell, who, along
with other members of the staff, had barricaded themselves in the back
of the kitchen with 100 pound bags of beans and rice.

The Captain then received a call that would immediately transform his
policy toward the rioting inmates. It was from Lt. Mundell. "His voice
had changed. He could barely talk. He said `You gotta get us out of here
now'.

"I knew that something had to be done immediately. I said `Paul,
give me a minute and I'll be in there'." And that's exactly what he
did. Some of the Cubans were trying to get out of the facility to escape
the violent rioting inmates. Marmolejo met with these prisoners and explained
the situation.

"I told them something was happening and if they didn't get me
back to the kitchen people were going to die, and they said they'd help
me. So, I grabbed a knit hat from one of them and put it on, and grabbed
a jacket from another. I told them to form a circle around me." Marmolejo
entered the compound undercover and alone to rescue those trapped and slowly
dying of smoke inhalation.

"The other inmates were organizing in the center and that gave
me the opportunity to get back there (to the hostages)." In all, the
kitchen held nine members of the prison staff, 10 Cuban prisoners, and
30 American minimum security inmates.

Marmolejo said that he had a hard time convincing them that it was really
him, come to lead them out of the riot, but once they opened the door he
was surprised by how many there were. "All I could do was tell them
(the way out)."

All of the 49 made it out safely, although one had suffered a heat attack.
Moments after the rescue the gas lines in the kitchen blew.

In total the riot caused 17 Million dollars in damages.

Assistant Marmolejo's philosophy, when it comes to running a prison,
rests on respect. "Respect is important whoever you are," he
said, "I try to treat convicts with respect." He also said the
establishing a good rapport with the inmate is vital. "Where else
are you going to get your information?" he asked.

Marmolejo said that there were good things happening in the prison system.
These include the ability to train and take the G.E.D., an equivalent to
a high school degree, in many prisons, and trades that are being taught
as well. He said he would move to Pecos if there were a university here
considering he has two children, one already in college at the University
of Texas at El Paso, and the other headed that direction.

And when it comes to the future of the prison system, the number of
detention centers is only going to increase, he said. "You can go
anywhere in the country and 75 percent of all incarcerations are drug-related."
He said that while the lure of the drug trade is "easy pocket money,"
that sooner or later everybody falls.

He urges parents to be there for their kids. "If parents aren't
involved with their children, they may end up with kids they can't control."

RCDC budget analyst tracks money

PECOS, September 18, 1997 - Reeves County Detention Center has a new
Budget Analyst. Jeff Bridges joined the center, bringing with him a world
of experience, Aug. 25, of this year. Bridges says he recently exchanged
Arlington, Tex. for Pecos to "get out of the zoo."

Raised in Lubbock, Bridges also worked in California early in his career.
"I enjoyed that for about a year," he said, but just like he
"found a way out of Lubbock" when he was young, he also found
his way back to Texas, he said.

"The position of budget analyst," put simply, "consists
of paying attention to where the revenue is coming from and making sure
that it is spent properly," Bridges said.

Bridges holds a Masters in Business, which he considers "the easy
one," as well as a Bachelors in Business Administration and a good
many minors. While in Arlington, he and his wife ran a home-based consulting
firm. Bridges' wife is still running back and forth from Arlington to Odessa
(where Bridges lives), traveling as a "sort of computer guru."

Bridges hopes to move to Pecos soon. "It's the only place in the
world where you can watch the full moon set as the Sun rises," he
said with a grin.

Jailed ROT leader files suit

ODESSA, Texas (AP) September 18, 1997 - A woman who was held hostage
in her own home by members of the Republic of Texas says she's "mad
as hell" about a lawsuit filed by jailed Republic leader Richard McLaren.

M.A. Rowe and her husband, Joe, are among 42 people named as defendants
in the lawsuit filed Aug. 25 in U.S. District
Court in the District of Columbia.

Other defendants include Jeff Davis County officials, law enforcement
officer, judges and residents of the county.

"I was mad as hell," M.A. Rowe said. "When they delivered
it that day I was pretty angry. What upsets us as much as anything else
is (McLaren's) still able to put out this crap from his jail cell."

McLaren remains jailed in the Presidio County Jail on charges stemming
from the hostage-taking incident.

McLaren and his Republic followers contend Texas never legally joined
the United States. Its members do not recognize Texas state agencies, including
district courts.

Authorities say McLaren and a handful of followers plotted to kidnap
the Rowes on April 27 in retaliation for the arrest earlier that day of
another group member on weapons charges.

The lawsuit stems from the standoff and the police shooting death of
Republic of Texas member Mike Matson, according to Jeff Davis County Attorney
Joe James.

James told The Odessa American Wednesday that the lawsuit claims the
defendants engaged in "international land fraud" against the
Republic of Texas; operated and perpetrated a "man-stealing, kidnapping
activity and spy ring" on public rights of way and persisted in "acts
of war."

The lawsuit also accuses the defendants of conspiracy, false imprisonment
and false arrest, James said.

It also alleges the defendants caused the "wrongful death and murder"
of Matson, who was killed in a gun battle with searchers two days after
McLaren and the others surrendered.

Vandals damage 8 cars

PECOS, September 18, 1997 - Vandals went wild this past weekend damaging
at least eight vehicles belonging to residents at the Pecos Housing Apartmentslocated on the east side of town.

"We have police reports on all of them," said PHA Director
Nellie Gomez.

Gomez stated that all the residents with damage to their vehicles have
filled out reports and they are looking for the culprits.

Police officers were dispatched to the housing apartments throughout
the weekend. On Sept. 13, officers were called to the apartments in reference
to criminal mischief done to several vehicles. Later other police reported
similar damage and filed a report.

According to police reports, several vehicles had been vandalized. The
windows to cars had been broken out with some type of pellet gun.

A complaint had also been made against several juveniles who have been
hanging around an apartment located at the complex. Neighbors had complained
about the juveniles making a lot of noise and coming in and out of the
house and HUD police security had spoken to these juveniles.

"Even if it's the friends of someone living in the apartments,
we will be holding the residents responsible as well," said Gomez.

"These people work very hard to have what they do and to have someone
just come and destroy it is not right," she said.

"I want these individuals to know that we will make them pay for
all the damages," she said.

Gomez stated that she would also like to offer a reward if no information
has been obtained by the end of this week and no arrests made.

"I'm going to speak to the board about this, but it upsets me so
much I feel I have to do something to protect the residents of our apartments,"
she said.

Brewster possessed marijuana with intent to distribute on Feb. 4 and
Feb. 11, the jury found, despite claims by the defendant and his brother,
Don Brewster, that he was working as an undercover informant for two Department
of Public Safety narcotics officers.

Zeke Rodarte, a DPS narcotics officer from Fort Stockton, testified
that he made a deal with Brewster Nov. 15, 1996, to
provide information on the Armando "Hippy" Ramos drug smuggling
organization in Mexico.

Brewster made several reports that Ramos was to ship drugs, but no specific
loads were ever targeted, Rodarte said. Brewster made no attempt to contact
either him or Van Horn criminal law enforcement trooper Bruce Jackson about
the two loads he was arrested for, he said.

The first load of 136 pounds was confiscated in Odessa Feb. 4 after
it was delivered to an undercover officer, said Jim Blankinship, prosecutor
for the government. Brewster later was connected to that load through the
gray Suburban that transported it from Van Horn to Odessa, through motel
registration and telephone records.

One week later, Brewster and a co-defendant, Jose Corrales, were arrested
on U.S. Hwy. 90 south of Van Horn.

Corrales was driving a car loaded with 342.38 pounds of marijuana, which
Brewster admitted had been imported from Mexico and hidden in a barn located
on his property.

Blankinship called 13 witnesses to connect Brewster to both loads and
to paint him as an "informant" who was instead working with the
drug smugglers. Brewster attempted to paint Rodarte as a crooked narcotics
officer who splits proceeds from seized contraband "between himself
and whoever."

Under cross examination by Blankinship, Brewster contradicted himself
often. He admitted being present when both loads were being transported
and that he did not contact law enforcement officers. But he claimed he
was investigating the activity - not being an accomplice. The jury deliberated
about two hours before reaching the guilty verdicts at 10 p.m. yesterday.

Six sentenced to prison

PECOS, September 18, 1997 - U.S. District Judge Royal Furgeson this
week sentenced six defendants to prison for drug possession and revoked
probation for another.

Sergio Huitron-Trujillo drew the longest sentence, 54 months in prison
plus four years supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute
marijuana.

Adolfo Renteria-Hernandez was sentenced to 24 months in prison plus
three years supervised release for possession with intent to distribute
marijuana. Another six months was added for failure to appear in court
at an earlier sentencing date.

Carlos Rosado-Gonazles drew six months in a halfway house for violating
terms of his supervised release. He is to undergo drug counseling, attend
parenting classes and perform 50 hours of community service.

WEATHER

PECOS, September 18, 1997 - High Wednesday, 103, low this morning, 73.
Anyone looking for a break in the current late-season heat will have to
wait a few more days. There's no break in the heat expected tonight and
Friday although there is a chance of a few scattered showers and thunderstorms
in some areas of West Texas and some portions of South Texas. Long-range
forecasts are calling for cooler temperatures by Sunday and Monday. There
is a slight chance of thunderstorms over northwest sections of the South
Plains tonight and in extreme West Texas and in the Big Bend area through
Friday. Lows tonight will be in the 60s and 70s in West Texas and in the
70s elsewhere across the state. Highs Friday will be in the 80s and 90s
in West Texas and in the 90s across the rest of the state.